


Conversations II.

by FindingArendelle



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22999108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingArendelle/pseuds/FindingArendelle
Summary: What was Anna thinking before leaving the castle to bury her parents by herself?I often wonder...
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	Conversations II.

“Princess El– Her Majesty will not be attending the ceremony.”

_I know._

“I pleaded with her, but–”

_I did, too. More than you’ll ever know._

“–and the council and I will walk you through this. You don’t need to worry about preparations for the staff will handle all of that… Princess Anna?”

_Keep it together. Look up. Speak._

“I understand. Thank you, Kai.”

Kai paused, expecting to be bombarded by questions. Justified anger. A screaming tantrum. But there was nothing but silence. Unfamiliar and piercing and hollow. Anna simply stared at her shoes, refusing to meet Kai’s apologetic gaze.

_Where are your manners? Look. Up._

“Is…. is there anything else, Your Highness?” Politeness and years of etiquette training that she had momentarily forgotten took precedence, and Anna lifted her head and forced a small smile. She didn’t find it in her to correct him and to remind him like she had countless times to address her as just Anna. That was who she was after all: Just Anna. Just the princess. Just the other sister. Just… an orphan. The last thought nearly crumbled the weak wall of a facade that she had been trying to keep intact, for she knew that one wrong move and one wrong thought could make it all collapse. There was no time to cry, no time to break down, no time to process her own grief.

Today, she wasn’t just Anna. In her sister’s absence, she needed to be _Princess_ Anna, the second heir to the throne, and the one everyone looked up to during this time of shock and tragedy. The back-up. The spare.

“That will be all. Please tell the others to get ready,” she said, her voice raspy and weak, as she turned around to face the windows overlooking the gates and the town beyond it. The grounds and the trees lining the kingdom were covered in snow, peculiar and out of place in the middle of September. But Anna did not have the energy to wonder why. Her parents were somewhere deep in the sea. Probably decayed and mangled by now, forever lost and never to be found again. She didn’t care about the stupid snow or the fact that there had been a blizzard the night news broke of her parents’ demise. It was all background noise to her as she remained still while the castle staff panicked, undeterred by the cold and the confusion it brought.

She simply did not have the strength to react to anything else. Kai could almost hear her mind whirring, thinking of all that was to take place today, and his arms twitched a little, instinctively wanting to scoop her in his arms like he had done so many times in the past, only to stop when Anna tilted her head to her side. With her arms outstretched and her palms pressed against the window sill, Anna looked like she was carrying the weight of the entire kingdom on her shoulders. A wave of discomfort with a twinge of nostalgia pinched Kai’s heart as he continued to watch her, an unreadable expression written all over her face.

She was just a child and she looked so, so small compared to the tall, looming windows that surrounded her. He had seen that posture and that melancholy face countless of times.

From another child. One who barely spoke and barely smiled. The child who was also his new queen.

Kai suddenly felt more depleted than he did before as he lowered his arm that had unconsciously started to reach out. As Anna turned to face him once more, he looked her in the eyes, searching for any signs of life or the vigor that seemed to always be there, but was met only with emptiness.

_Princess Anna._ What used to be a title so endearing now sounded so heavy. Like a chasm had formed between them. Anna was no longer a child and wrapping his arms around her wouldn’t fix years of hurt. It couldn’t cure a heartbreak that he himself could not even begin to fathom. It wouldn’t make Elsa open her door, and it wouldn’t make their parents come back.

“Gerda will come and fetch you shortly,” Kai said, breaking the silence between them as guilt started to creep up from the pit of his stomach. “I’m so sorry, Anna…” he whispered as he bowed, his quiet departure unnoticed as Anna turned to the windows again, watching people trudging the snow-covered grounds, all dressed in black for the occasion.

*****

_I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this._

“Princess Anna? It’s… it’s time to go.”

_Stop knocking. Please leave me alone._

“––that will be all for now, Anders. No––the queen will remain here. Please go downstairs and tell the others to go right ahead. Her Highness just needs a little more time.”

_Get it together. You need to do this._

“Anna? It’s me, Gerda. Just take your time, dear…I’m right out here for you. There’s no rush.”

_It’s only for today._

“––a few more minutes, Mathilde. They can wait.”

Take a step.

“–– What do you mean? Flurries? I… I suppose it would be appropriate to wear coats. Yes...please grab one for the princess as well.”

_Step again._

_Breathe._

“Tell the guards to open up the gates. I’m ready.”


End file.
